My thoughts on the Phillies season.

The Phils spilt their four-game series with the Brewers by winning the last two games of the series, winning by the scores of 4-3 and 8-0.

The Phils leave Milwaukee with a series split as they defeat the Brewers by the scores of 4-3 and 8-0.

On Saturday, the Phils took the lead in the second as, with one man on, and with nobody out, John Mayberry, Jr. hits a two-run home run, his tenth home run of the season, knocking in Laynce Nix, who had started the inning off with a walk, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead. Erik Kratz gave the Phils a 3-0 lead as he followed with a solo home run of his own, his sixth home run of the season. The Brewers would get a run back in their half of the second as Aramis Ramirez hits a lead-off home run, his seventeenth home run of the year, and his second in three days, making it a 3-1 Phils’ lead. The Phils added to their lead in the third as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI double, knocking in Chase Utley, who had started the inning off with a single, giving the Phils a 4-1 lead. The Brewers made it a 4-3 Phils’ lead in the eighth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Ryan Braun hits a two-run home run, his thirty-third home run of the season, and his fourth home run in three games, knocking in Jonathan Lucroy, who had just singled. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon would come in and pitched a four-out save, his twenty-seventh save of the season, getting Cody Ranson to strike out, swinging, for the game’s final out.

Cole Hamels (14-6, 2.94) got the win as he pitched seven and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and a walk, while striking out ten. Johnathan Papelbon collected his twenty-seventh save of the season as he pitched an inning and a third, striking out three. Mike Fiers (6-6, 2.90) took the lost as he lasted five innings, giving up four runs on five hits, four walks and a hit batter, while striking out five. Kameron Loe, Francisco Rodriguez and Jim Henderson combined for four scoreless innings, giving up two hits (Loe (1), Henderson (1)), while striking out six (Loe (1), Rodriguez (3), Henderson (2)).

The Phils had seven hits in the game, with Chase Utley (Singles) and Ryan Howard (Single, Double, RBI) leading the team with two hits apiece. John Mayberry, Jr. (Home Run, 2 RBIs), Erik Kratz (Home Run, RBI) and Juan Pierre (Single) had the other three Phils’ hits. The Phils also had four walks and a hit batter (Kevin Frandsen) in the game.

On Sunday, the Brewers tried to take a 1-0 lead in the first as, with a runner on third, via a triple by Nyjer Morgan, and with nobody out, Morgan broke for home on a grounder that Rickie Week had hit directly to Phils’ starter Kyle Kendrick, who then made Morgan run back to third base, before finally tagging him out, 1-unassisted, for the inning’s first out. The Phils took the lead in the second as, with one man on, and with one man out, Michael Martinez hits a two-run home run, his second home run of the season, scoring Dom Brown, who had just walked, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead. The Phils added to their lead in the third as, with the bases loaded, via singles by Kevin Frandsen and Ryan Howard, with Frandsen stopping at second base, and a walk by Ty Wigginton, moving both runners up a base, and with one man out, Brown hits a bases clearing double, knocking in Frandsen, Howard and Wigginton, giving the Phils a 5-0 lead. The Phils tried to make it a 6-0 lead in the eighth as, with two men on, and with nobody out, Laynce Nix, who had earlier reached base on Ryan Braun’s fielding error, then went to third base on Brown’s single, is thrown out at home plate on a fielder’s choice grounder, on a good play by first baseman Travis Ishikawa, after he had caught Martinez’s sharp grounder to first, 3-2, as catcher Jonathan Lucroy applied the tag, for the inning’s second out, while Brown would move up to second base on the play. The Phils then took a 7-0 lead as Brian Schneider hits a two-run double, knocking in both Brown and Martinez. The Phils then make it an 8-0 lead in the ninth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Brown hits an RBI single, knocking in Mayberry, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on John Axford’s wild pitch, while sending Nix, who had just walked, on to second base. That would end up being the final score as Michael Schwimer would get Cody Ransom to strike out, swinging, with runners on the corners, for the game’s final out.

Kyle Kendrick (6-9, 4.20) would get the win as he pitched eight shutout innings, giving up just three hits and a walk, while striking out seven. Michael Schwimer pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits, while striking out two. Randy Wolf (3-10, 5.69) took the lost as he went seven innings, giving up five runs on ten hits and two walks, while striking out four. Mike McClendon pitched an inning, giving up two runs, only one of which was earned, on two hits. John Axford pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a walk, while striking out a batter.

The Phils had fourteen hits in the game, with Kevin Frandsen (Singles) and Dom Brown (2 Singles, Double, 4 RBIs) both leading the team with three hits apiece, followed by John Mayberry, Jr. (Singles), Ryan Howard (Singles), Michael Martinez (Single, Home Run, 2 RBIs) and Brian Schneider (Single, Double, 2 RBIs) with two hits each. The Phils also had three walks in the game.

The Phils (56-65, 4th East) start a four-game series with the Reds (74-48, 1st Central) with the game already in progress.

Meta

The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.